With Piezoelectric Force Ejection Patents (Class 347/68)
  • Patent number: 9085165
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a flow path portion that has a first communication path, a case member that has a second communication path, a seal member that is pinched between the case member and the flow path portion, and a cover member to which a head chip that discharges the liquid from a nozzle communicating with the second communication path is set. An opening that has a predetermined space formed inside is formed on a recording medium side of the case member. The cover member covers the opening in a state where the head chip is arranged in the predetermined space and the nozzle is exposed to an outside. The seal member allows the first communication path and the second communication path to be connected in a liquid-tight manner and seals the predetermined space on a case member side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Ryota Kinoshita, Shunsuke Watanabe, Katsumi Enomoto
  • Patent number: 9085153
    Abstract: A liquid jet head includes an actuator substrate on which a plurality of grooves is arranged, and a nozzle plate having nozzle holes communicated with the grooves. Drive electrodes extend in the longitudinal direction along both side surfaces of a wall portion of the grooves. An insulating film is disposed between the wall portion and the longitudinal end portions of the drive electrodes so that only the mid-portion of the drive elecrodes directly contacts the side surfaces of the wall portion. When a voltage is applied to the drive electrodes, only the region of the wall portion in the vicinity of the nozzle holes is actuated to eject liquid from the nozzle holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: SII PRINTEK INC.
    Inventor: Yoshinori Domae
  • Patent number: 9079393
    Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, an ink jet head comprises a driving signal generator configured to apply rectangular waveform electric field pulse to a partition wall forming a pressure chamber for ejecting ink; wherein the driving signal generator applies, to a second partition wall adjacent to a first partition wall forming the pressure chamber for ejecting ink and a third partition wall adjacent to the second partition wall, electric field pulse including at least one rectangular waveform which is a rectangular waveform opposite to the electric field pulse applied to the adjacent first partition wall and has a pulse width determined based on the electric field pulse at the timing corresponding to the electric field pulse applied to the first partition wall, in a case of ejecting ink from any of the plurality of pressure chambers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Teruyuki Hiyoshi, Noboru Nitta, Shunichi Ono
  • Patent number: 9064782
    Abstract: A droplet discharge head includes: a vibrating plate on which first and second terminals are formed; a reservoir forming substrate bonded to the vibrating plate and including a first inclined surface as a side surface on which a first wiring electrically connected to the first terminal is formed and that is inclined to a plate surface; and a wiring substrate bonded to the vibrating plate and including a second inclined surface as a side surface on which a second wiring electrically connected to the second terminal is formed and that is inclined to a plate surface along the first inclined surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yoshihiko Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 9056458
    Abstract: A long liquid discharge head of the present invention includes a passage member 4 in one direction having a plurality of discharge holes 8 and a plurality of pressurizing chambers 10; a plurality of pressurizing sections 30 for pressurizing liquid in a plurality of the respective pressurizing chambers 10; and a long reservoir 540 in the one direction bonded along the passage member 4 and having a reservoir passage 42 for supplying the liquid to a plurality of the pressurizing chambers 10, and when viewed in the direction in which the reservoir 540 and the passage member 4 are bonded, the reservoir 540 includes a plurality of heat insulating sections (the reservoir passage 42 and a space 541a-4) extending in the one direction and a heat transfer section 541a-3 provided between a plurality of the heat insulating sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuya Yoshimura, Takaaki Ichizono
  • Patent number: 9056468
    Abstract: A liquid discharge head includes a nozzle plate, a channel plate, a wall member, and a common liquid chamber. The nozzle plate includes nozzles, and the channel plate forms a plurality of individual channels communicating with the nozzles. The wall member forms at least one portion of a wall of the plurality of individual channels. The common liquid chamber, arranged at a side opposite the plurality of individual channels, supplies liquid to the individual channel. The wall member includes a deformable damper area, a reinforced area, and an area of reduced thickness. The damper area forms one portion of a wall of the common liquid chamber, and the reinforced area divides the damper area into plural areas. The area of reduced thickness, arranged in at least one portion of the reinforced area, has a thickness greater than the damper area and less than the reinforced area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventor: Ryohta Yoneta
  • Patent number: 9050801
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a channel unit having a plurality of pressure chambers respectively communicating with a plurality of nozzles opened to a nozzle formation surface, a plurality of reservoirs for supplying liquid to the plurality of the pressure chambers, and a plurality of compliance units formed by partitioning at least a part of the surface of each reservoir opposite to the nozzle formation surface by a film member; and a head case joined to a surface of the channel unit. A concave chamber formed by depressing a part of a surface joined to the channel unit in a side opposite to the reservoir and an atmosphere opening passage whose one end communicates with the concave chamber and the other end is opened to the atmosphere are formed at the head case. The concave chamber is formed in series over the compliance units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Eiichiro Watanabe
  • Patent number: 9044946
    Abstract: A droplet discharge head includes a nozzle substrate containing a plurality of nozzles to discharge droplets; a channel substrate to form a plurality of individual liquid chambers to which the plurality of nozzles communicate; a common liquid chamber member, comprising a wall, to form a common liquid chamber to supply liquid to the plurality of individual liquid chambers; a wall member to form a deformable damper area on a part of the wall of the common liquid chamber member, in which the channel substrate and the common liquid chamber member are laminated together with the wall member sandwiched in between, and the channel substrate includes a concave-shaped damper chamber corresponding to the damper area; and a plurality of support pillars disposed on a concave-shaped bottom of the damper chamber, the support pillar connecting to the wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Tomohiko Kohda, Noriyasu Takeuchi, Takahiro Yoshida, Ryohta Matsufuji
  • Publication number: 20150145927
    Abstract: An inkjet head includes a substrate having plural ink inlet holes arranged along a first direction and plural ink outlet holes arranged generally along the first direction such that adjacent ink outlet holes are offset along the first direction, a plurality of partitioning walls made of piezoelectric material that define pressure chambers therebetween, each of the partitioning walls disposed on the substrate and generally extending in a second direction that crosses the first direction between the ink inlet holes and the ink outlet holes, and a nozzle plate disposed on the partitioning walls and having a plurality of nozzles, each of the nozzles being arranged on one of the pressure chambers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2014
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Inventor: Nobuaki MUROCHI
  • Publication number: 20150145926
    Abstract: Provided is A piezoelectric element comprising a first electrode; a piezoelectric body layer provided on the first electrode, the piezoelectric body layer including 50 mol % or more of at least bismuth and iron, and the piezoelectric body layer having a current-time curve obtained by applying a voltage to the first electrode and the second electrode including a plurality of inflection points; and a second electrode provided on the piezoelectric body layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2014
    Publication date: May 28, 2015
    Inventors: Takayuki YONEMURA, Masahisa NAWANO, Akio KONISHI
  • Patent number: 9039145
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes: a nozzle plate formed with a plurality of nozzle orifices; a drive unit configured to apply pressure vibration to pressure generating chambers communicating to the plurality of nozzle orifices; and a head casing including the drive unit and having a surface opposed to the nozzle plate. The plurality of nozzle orifices defines a first nozzle array group and a second nozzle array group which are staggered, and the surface has a first recess and a second recess which are staggered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Fujio Akahane
  • Patent number: 9039131
    Abstract: A method for producing an inkjet head may include, the inkjet head having: a head substrate having a plurality of piezoelectric elements, a wiring substrate having wiring lines through which electric power is fed to the respective piezoelectric elements through the drive electrodes, the method having: pressure-welding the wiring substrate to the head substrate by heat through resin adhesive sections made of a thermosetting resin so that the drive electrodes are electrically connected to the wiring lines through solder bumps; and joining the head substrate to the wiring substrate, wherein a melting point TB[° C.] of the solder bumps and a cure initiation temperature TR[° C.] of the resin adhesion sections meet a relation (TR[° C.]?TB[° C.]?TR+30[° C.]).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
    Inventors: Yasuo Nishi, Shigekazu Sakai, Koujiro Yoshida
  • Publication number: 20150138281
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element includes: a first electrode; a piezoelectric body layer which is provided on the first electrode; and a second electrode which is provided on the piezoelectric body layer, the piezoelectric body layer is made of a composite oxide with a perovskite structure, which contains bismuth, barium, iron, titanium, and strontium, and the content of strontium with respect to barium is equal to or greater than 5 mol % and equal to or less than 18 mol %.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 14, 2014
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Inventor: Kazuya KITADA
  • Patent number: 9033473
    Abstract: A piezoelectric device according to the present invention is a laminated body including stacked first and second sheets. The laminated body is divided by a plurality of grooves. In the laminated body, first driving units each have a fifth region where the first electrode of the first sheet and the second electrode of the second sheet are opposed to each other while second driving units each have a sixth region where the first electrode of the first sheet and the second electrode of the second sheet are opposed to each other. The grooves are interposed between the driving units. The fifth regions of the first driving units are located along a straight line separate from a straight line along which the sixth regions of the second driving units are located.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hidehiro Yoshida
  • Patent number: 9033472
    Abstract: A piezoelectric actuator includes upper and lower electrodes providing driving voltages and a piezoelectric film formed between the upper and lower electrodes and providing a driving force to ink in a plurality of pressure chambers formed on an inkjet print head, respectively. The piezoelectric film may include a plurality of basin parts individually formed on respective tops of the plurality of pressure chambers and a large-area part connected to the plurality of basin parts, respectively, at one end of the plurality of basin parts and formed as a single body. The large-area part may include a groove formed on an extended line of a basin line partitioning the basin parts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRO-MECHANICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tae Kyung Lee, Jae Chang Lee, Hwa Sun Lee
  • Patent number: 9033468
    Abstract: An actuator element includes an electrode film; and an insulation film layered on the electrode film including a through hole for connecting a wiring which is formed on the insulation film to the electrode film. A shape of a rim of the through hole is either a closed curve free of corners or a polygon with vertex angles which are larger than 90 degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
    Inventors: Kouji Ohnishi, Takahiko Kuroda, Manabu Nishimura, Kaichi Ueno
  • Publication number: 20150130877
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus is provided with an actuator substrate on which a piezoelectric actuator that generates a pressure change in a pressure generation chamber, which is in communication with a nozzle opening that ejects a liquid, is provided. The liquid ejecting head is provided with lead-out wiring that is led out from the piezoelectric actuator to the top of the actuator substrate, the lead-out wiring is provided with an adhesive layer that is provided on an actuator substrate side, and a conductive layer that is provided on a side of the adhesive layer which is opposite the actuator substrate, and the adhesive layer has a width that is narrower than the conductive layer in at least a parallel arrangement direction of the lead-out wiring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2014
    Publication date: May 14, 2015
    Inventor: Motoki TAKABE
  • Patent number: 9028051
    Abstract: A piezoelectric mechanism includes first and second electrodes and a thin film sheet of piezoelectric material. The second electrode is interdigitated in relation to the first electrode. The first and the second electrodes are embedded within the thin film sheet. The thin film sheet is polarized in a direction at least substantially perpendicular to a surface of the thin film sheet. The thin film sheet is to physically deform in a shear mode due to polarization of the thin film sheet at least substantially perpendicular to the surface of the thin film sheet, responsive to an electric field induced within the thin film sheet at least substantially parallel to the sheet via application of a voltage across the first and the second electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Tony S. Cruz-Uribe, Peter Mardilovich
  • Patent number: 9028050
    Abstract: Provided is a first flow path substrate where a first flow path out of a liquid flow path is formed, a second flow path substrate where a second flow path which communicates with the first flow path is formed, and a third flow path substrate where a pressure chamber which communicates with the second flow path is formed. The second flow path substrate has a first surface which is bonded to oppose the third flow path substrate and a second surface which is bonded to oppose the first flow path substrate; the first surface of the second flow path substrate is bonded with the third flow path substrate via a film of paraxylene; and the second surface of the second flow path substrate is bonded by an adhesive of a material which is different from that of the film of paraxylene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Manabu Munakata
  • Patent number: 9022534
    Abstract: Provided is a piezoelectric material having high Curie temperature, high insulation property, and high piezoelectric performance, the piezoelectric material including a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by the general formula (1): xBaTiO3-yBiFeO3-zBi(M0.5Ti0.5)O3, where M represents at least one kind of element selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ni, and Zn, x represents a value satisfying 0.25?x?0.75, y represents a value satisfying 0.15?y?0.73, and z represents a value satisfying 0.02?z?0.60, provided that x+y+z=1 is satisfied in which the perovskite-type metal oxide contains V, and content of the V is 0.0005 mol or larger and 0.0050 mol or smaller with respect to 1 mol of the perovskite-type metal oxide. In addition, provided are a piezoelectric element, a liquid discharge head, an ultrasonic motor, and a dust removing device, which use the piezoelectric material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hisato Yabuta, Takayuki Watanabe, Makoto Kubota, Jumpei Hayashi
  • Patent number: 9022529
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a pressure chamber substrate formed of silicon where a pressure chamber is formed, and a communication plate penetrated by communication holes in a plate thickness direction, in which the pressure chamber partitioned by partition walls formed of crystal orientation planes being formed in the recording head through etching. Acute angle portions are formed, by the partition walls intersecting with each other at an acute angle, in both end portions of the pressure chamber in a first direction, and a first step is disposed in the middle of each of the acute angle portions in an etching direction. Parts of the communication holes are arranged at positions superimposed on the acute angle portions in a bonding surface and remaining parts of the communication holes are arranged on outer sides in the first direction with respect to the acute angle portions such that a second step is formed in a communication portion between the pressure chamber and the communication holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Takaai, Yuma Fukuzawa, Yoichi Naganuma
  • Patent number: 9022527
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a pressure element and a lead electrode that is joined to a wiring substrate which supplies a driving signal, and the pressure element, in which a surface of the lead electrode on the wiring substrate side in a connection region between the lead electrode and the wiring substrate becomes a concavo-convex surface, in which the lead electrode and the wiring substrate are fixed to each other at a periphery of the connection region and at least one portion of a concave portion of the concavo-convex surface of the lead electrode with a non-conductive paste, and in which the lead electrode and the wiring substrate are electrically connected to each other at a convex portion of the concavo-convex surface of the lead electrode on which the non-conductive paste is not present.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuro Torimoto, Kazushige Hakeda, Tadao Furuta, Motoki Takabe
  • Patent number: 9022531
    Abstract: The piezoelectric element includes, on a substrate: a piezoelectric film; and a pair of electrodes provided in contact with the piezoelectric film; in which the piezoelectric film contains a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by the general formula (1) as a main component: Ax(ZnjTi(1-j))l(MgkTi(1-k))mMnO3??General Formula (1) wherein the perovskite-type metal oxide is uniaxially (111)-oriented in pseudo-cubic notation in a thickness direction, of the pair of electrodes, a lower electrode provided on the substrate side is a multilayer electrode including at least a first electrode layer in contact with the substrate and a second electrode layer in contact with the piezoelectric film, and the second electrode layer is a perovskite-type metal oxide electrode which is uniaxially (111)-oriented in pseudo-cubic notation in a thickness direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Sophia School Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Kubota, Kaoru Miura, Hisato Yabuta, Takayuki Watanabe, Jumpei Hayashi, Hiroshi Funakubo, Shintaro Yasui, Takahiro Oikawa, Jun-ichi Nagata, Hiroshi Uchida
  • Patent number: 9022533
    Abstract: A flow channel substrate includes pressure chambers, and the pressure chambers communicate with nozzle openings. Piezoelectric elements located on either side of the flow channel substrate include a first electrode, a piezoelectric layer, and a second electrode. The piezoelectric layer contains lead, titanium, and zirconium. The second electrode includes a first layer on the piezoelectric layer side and a second layer on the side of the first layer opposite the piezoelectric layer. The second electrode also includes projections. The projections are aggregates of the lead originating in the piezoelectric layer, and the projections stick out of the surface of the second electrode opposite the piezoelectric layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shiro Yazaki, Takahiro Kamijo, Toshihiro Shimizu, Motoki Takabe
  • Patent number: 9022530
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element comprises a piezoelectric film which comprises perovskite type crystals at least including Pb, Ti, and Zr, and an electrode which is provided to the piezoelectric film. A diffraction peak position (2?) of X-rays derived from a (100) plane of the piezoelectric film is from 21.89 to 21.97, and a half-peak width (2?) of a (200) plane is from 0.30 to 0.50.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Koji Ohashi
  • Patent number: 9022532
    Abstract: The displacement as an actuator or the sensitivity as a sensor of a piezoelectric element can be increased and, in addition, the electric power consumption can be reduced by providing a thin film of potassium-sodium niobate, which is a perovskite type compound represented by a general formula ABO3, as a piezoelectric layer, wherein a crystal orientation of a crystal structure of potassium-sodium niobate has in-plane fourfold symmetry as a whole piezoelectric layer, where a first axis of rotational symmetry is a thickness direction of the piezoelectric layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Aida, Ryu Ohta, Yoshitomo Tanaka, Hiroshi Chihara, Hitoshi Sakuma, Kazuhiko Maejima
  • Publication number: 20150116428
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element used between a lowest use temperature T1 and a highest use temperature T2, includes a first electrode, a piezoelectric layer provided on the first electrode and made of a piezoelectric material including a composite oxide having a perovskite structure, the piezoelectric material having a morphotropic phase boundary which is inclined with respect to a temperature axis, and the piezoelectric material satisfying at least one of formulas T3?T1?T4 and T3?T2?T4, where T3 is a temperature corresponding to the morphotropic phase boundary at a lowest point and T4 is a temperature corresponding to the morphotropic phase boundary at a highest point and a second electrode provided on the piezoelectric layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventor: Yasuaki HAMADA
  • Patent number: 9016839
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head including a pressure generation chamber communicating with a nozzle. The head includes a piezoelectric element having a first electrode, a piezoelectric layer, provided on the first electrode, a second electrode provided on the piezoelectric layer, and a third electrode provided on the second electrode. The third electrode is provided on the second electrode to cover a region that faces the pressure generation chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Shiro Yazaki
  • Patent number: 9016834
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes: a flow channel unit having a plurality of pressure chambers arranged in a plane; and piezoelectric actuators which change volume of the plurality of pressure chambers so as to apply pressure to liquid inside the plurality of the pressure chambers respectively, wherein the piezoelectric actuators comprise: a diaphragm which constitutes one wall of the plurality of pressure chambers; a common electrode formed on a surface of the diaphragm; a piezoelectric layer formed on a surface of the common electrode; a plurality of ring-shaped individual electrodes formed on a surface of the piezoelectric layer and formed in regions which overlap respectively with marginal portions which are non-central portions of the plurality of pressure chambers, as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the plane; and central electrodes connected electrically to the common electrode, and formed so as not to make contact with the plurality of ring-shaped individual electrodes in inner regions of the p
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Tsuyoshi Mita
  • Publication number: 20150109372
    Abstract: The displacement as an actuator or the sensitivity as a sensor of a piezoelectric element can be increased and, in addition, the electric power consumption can be reduced by providing a thin film of potassium-sodium niobate, which is a perovskite type compound represented by a general formula ABO3, as a piezoelectric layer, wherein a crystal orientation of a crystal structure of potassium-sodium niobate has in-plane fourfold symmetry as a whole piezoelectric layer, where a first axis of rotational symmetry is a thickness direction of the piezoelectric layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2013
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Inventors: Yasuhiro AIDA, Ryu OHTA, Yoshitomo TANAKA, Hiroshi CHIHARA, Hitoshi SAKUMA, Kazuhiko MAEJIMA
  • Publication number: 20150109373
    Abstract: A liquid jet head includes a first piezoelectric body substrate and an opaque substrate. The first piezoelectric body substrate includes n pieces of ejection grooves arrayed with an identical pitch in a reference direction on a surface, and (n+1) pieces of non-ejection grooves arrayed alternately with the ejection grooves while shifted therefrom by a half pitch. The opaque substrate is bonded to the surface of the first piezoelectric body substrate and includes (j+n+k) pieces of through holes passing through the plate in the board thickness direction and arrayed in the reference direction. Each of n pieces of through holes communicates with each of the n pieces of the ejection grooves, while j and k pieces of through holes do not communicate with the ejection grooves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2014
    Publication date: April 23, 2015
    Inventor: Satoshi HORIGUCHI
  • Patent number: 9009973
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a liquid discharging head, the method including forming a plurality of nozzles that discharge liquid droplets, forming a plurality of piezoelectric elements that generate pressure for discharging liquid droplets from the respective nozzles; and performing a repolarization process on the piezoelectric elements to set non-uniformity of the droplet discharging characteristics of the nozzles to be in a predetermined range by combining adjustment of a polarization sensitivity and adjustment of a polarization voltage for each of the piezoelectric elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takahiro Yamada, Tomohiko Koda, Hitoshi Kida
  • Patent number: 9010907
    Abstract: A liquid jet head includes an actuator portion having a first recessed portion, second recessed portions, and left and right channel rows provided between the first and second recessed portions, respectively, and being offset in a row direction by 1/2 of a channel pitch. Each of the left and right channel rows includes channels each having one end portion opened to the first recessed portion and another end portion opened to one of the second recessed portions. The channels are formed of grooves each sandwiched by two of a series of walls extending from the first recessed portion to one of the second recessed portions. A width of the walls corresponding to one of the left and right channel rows being equal to a width of the grooves corresponding to the other of the left and right channel rows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: SII Printek Inc.
    Inventor: Osamu Koseki
  • Patent number: 9010908
    Abstract: A liquid jet head includes an actuator substrate having a plurality of elongated grooves arrayed from an upper surface to a lower surface thereof. The grooves are formed from a vicinity of a peripheral end on one side of the actuator substrate to a peripheral end the other side thereof, ends of the grooves in a longitudinal direction thereof have respective inclined surfaces rising from the lower surface to the upper surface of the actuator substrate, and a crossing angle at crossing portions at which the inclined surfaces and the lower surface cross each other is in a range of 3 degrees to 80 degrees. A width W of the inclined surfaces in the longitudinal direction thereof and a thickness D of the actuator substrate satisfy a relationship 0.2?(W/D)?11 at the ends on one side of the grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: SII Printek Inc.
    Inventors: Satoshi Horiguchi, Yuzuru Kubota
  • Patent number: 9012165
    Abstract: The invention is directed to an assay for acid ?-galactosidase activity. The invention may include combining in oil a sample droplet with a 4-methylumbelliferyl-B-galactose to yield a reaction droplet; splitting the reaction droplet to yield a first daughter droplet and a second daughter droplet; combining the first daughter droplet with a stop buffer droplet to yield a first stopped reaction droplet; incubating the second daughter droplet; combining the second daughter droplet with a stop buffer droplet to yield a second stopped reaction droplet; and measuring 4-methylumbelliferone released in the first and second stopped reaction droplets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Advanced Liquid Logic, Inc.
    Inventor: Allen E. Eckhardt
  • Patent number: 9003620
    Abstract: A process for producing a liquid ejection head having a piezoelectric body provided with an ejection orifice for ejecting liquid and a pressure chamber communicating therewith for retaining the liquid, wherein an electrode is formed on an inner wall surface of the pressure chamber to deform the pressure chamber by piezoelectric action caused by applying voltage to the electrode to eject the liquid, comprising providing the piezoelectric body in which a surface thereof having the ejection orifice has an arithmetic mean roughness of 0.1-1 ?m, forming a dry film resist pattern on the surface of the piezoelectric body so as to expose the ejection orifice and a linear region connected thereto, and forming a metal thin film pattern being connected to the electrode on the inner wall surface and continuously extending from the inner wall surface to the linear region by using the dry film resist pattern as a mask.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shinan Wang, Toru Nakakubo, Hirotaka Sekiguchi
  • Patent number: 9004653
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head and a recording device are disclosed. The head includes a fluid channel member and a piezoelectric substrate on the fluid channel member. The fluid channel member includes chambers, each having a diamond shape with two obtuse angle portions and two acute angle portions. In a plan view, the chambers are arranged in a matrix, and aligned in directions of a row and of a column. The substrate includes a first electrode, a piezoelectric body and second electrodes. Each of the second electrodes includes a main electrode and a lead-out portion. The main electrode overlaps with the respective chamber, and is located inside the chamber in the plan view. The lead-out electrode includes: a first end which overlaps with the respective chamber; and a second end located outside the chamber and located in a region that does not overlap with the column in the plan view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
    Inventors: Wataru Ikeuchi, Kenichi Yoshimura, Naoki Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 9005972
    Abstract: Provided herein is an apparatus for printing cells which includes an electrospinning device and an inkjet printing device operatively associated therewith. Methods of making a biodegradable scaffold having cells seeded therein are also provided. Methods of forming microparticles containing one or more cells encapsulated by a substrate are also provided, as are methods of forming an array of said microparticles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Wake Forest University Health Sciences
    Inventors: Tao Xu, James J. Yoo, Anthony Atala, Dennis Dice
  • Publication number: 20150097884
    Abstract: An inkjet printhead includes an inkjet nozzle with a main actuator and at least one peripheral actuator in the same firing chamber. When the inkjet nozzle has sat idle, both the main actuator and the peripheral actuator are activated to jet at least one ink drop to renew the inkjet nozzle to mitigate decap conditions. When the inkjet nozzle has not sat idle, only the main actuator is activated to jet ink drops. The ink drops jetted by activating both the main and the peripheral actuators and the ink drops generated by activating only the main actuator have the same drop weight and drop velocity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2012
    Publication date: April 9, 2015
    Inventors: Brian M. Taff, Erik D. Torniainen, Daniel A. Kearl
  • Patent number: 8998386
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid ejecting apparatus which comprises a pressure generation chamber, a piezoelectric element, and a driving unit which supplies a driving signal to the piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric layer shows electric field induced phase transition and when among voltages at which the piezoelectric layer shows the electric field induced phase transition a voltage having a higher absolute value is defined as VF and a voltage having a lower absolute value is defined as VAF, the driving unit supplies to the piezoelectric element a driving signal which allows the voltage to be applied to the piezoelectric layer, allows the voltage that passes through VF and of which the absolute value is equal to or higher than VAF to be set as a start point, and allows the voltage to be changed within a range where the absolute value is equal to or higher than VAF.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Takayuki Yonemura
  • Patent number: 8998388
    Abstract: A method for manufacturing a fluid ejection device, comprising the steps of: providing a first semiconductor body having a membrane layer and a piezoelectric actuator which extends over the membrane layer; forming a cavity underneath the membrane layer to form a suspended membrane; providing a second semiconductor body; making, in the second semiconductor body, an inlet through hole configured to form a supply channel of the fluid ejection device; providing a third semiconductor body; forming a recess in the third semiconductor body; forming an outlet channel through the third semiconductor body to form an ejection nozzle of the fluid ejection device; coupling the first semiconductor body with the third semiconductor body and the first semiconductor body with the second semiconductor body in such a way that the piezoelectric actuator is completely housed in the first recess, and the second recess forms an internal chamber of the fluid ejection device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics S.r.l.
    Inventors: Mauro Cattaneo, Roberto Campedelli, Igor Varisco
  • Patent number: 8998380
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes a nozzle plate, a flow path forming substrate, and a communication plate between the nozzle plate and the substrate and having a communication hole connecting a nozzle and a first opening of a pressure chamber. The first opening extends in a direction perpendicular to an arrangement direction of the pressure chambers. The first opening has a narrowed portion close to the communication hole. The communication hole has at least three edge lines which extend in a penetration direction. The communication plate is bonded to the substrate such that the ends of the edge lines at a surface close to the substrate are covered with the substrate that defines the narrowed portion on a surface close to the communication plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yuma Fukuzawa, Hiroshige Owaki
  • Patent number: 8998387
    Abstract: The invention is directed to a method of working a small recess portion. In the method, prior to press-forming small recess portions arrayed in a row by pressing a predetermined number of pieces of aligned male dies to a metal base plate, the metal base plate is previously formed with a highly rigid portion at a predetermined portion at a vicinity of an imaginary line extending in a row direction along end portions of predicted press portions to which the respective male dies are pressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Hideyuki Ogawa, Koichi Saito, Nagamitsu Takashima, Katsunori Ono
  • Patent number: 8991976
    Abstract: An object is to provide a method of manufacturing a water repellent film, a nozzle plate, an inkjet head, and an inkjet recording device which are able to improve dynamic water repellency of a water repellent film which includes a straight-chain fluorine-based organic material. The method of manufacturing a water repellent film includes forming a first organic film on a silicon substrate with a silicon compound which does not include a fluorine atom as a raw material, forming an inorganic oxide film on the first organic film, and forming a second organic film on the inorganic oxide film with a straight-chain fluorine-containing silane coupling agent as a raw material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroki Uchiyama
  • Patent number: 8991957
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a first piezoelectric element, a first nozzle that ejects a liquid in association with the driving of the first piezoelectric element, a second piezoelectric element, a second nozzle that ejects a liquid in association with the driving of the second piezoelectric element, a driving signal generation unit that generates a driving signal for driving a plurality of piezoelectric elements, and a residual vibration detection unit that detects residual vibration generated by the driving of the piezoelectric element. The first nozzle is adjacent to the second nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kenji Otokita
  • Patent number: 8991985
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a liquid jet head includes depositing a lower electrode film on a passage forming substrate and patterning the lower electrode film into a predetermined pattern, forming a piezoelectric layer on the passage forming substrate, forming an intermediate film made of a conductive material on the piezoelectric layer, forming a protective film on the intermediate film and, using the protective film as a mask, patterning by etching the piezoelectric layer together with the intermediate film into a predetermined pattern, peeling off the protective film, and depositing an upper electrode film on the passage forming substrate and patterning the upper electrode film into a predetermined pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shiro Yazaki, Setsuya Iwashita, Eiju Hirai, Tsutomu Nishiwaki
  • Patent number: 8991954
    Abstract: In an embodiment, a method of circulating fluid in a fluid ejection device includes generating compressive and expansive fluid displacements of different durations from a first actuator located asymmetrically within a fluidic channel between a first fluid feedhole and a nozzle while generating no fluid displacements from a second actuator located asymmetrically within the channel between the nozzle and a second fluid feedhole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Alexander Govyadinov, Kianoush Naeli, Tony S. Cruz-Uribe
  • Patent number: 8991052
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a liquid ejecting head includes forming a first electrode made of platinum, forming a buffer layer made of a compound having a pyrochlore structure that contains bismuth or platinum on the first electrode, forming an oxide layer made of an oxide containing bismuth on the buffer layer, forming a piezoelectric layer made of a compound having a perovskite structure that contains bismuth by burning the oxide layer, and forming a second electrode on the piezoelectric layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Tomohiro Sakai
  • Patent number: 8991984
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head that discharges a liquid through a nozzle aperture includes a piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric layer and a first and a second electrode provided for the piezoelectric layer. The piezoelectric layer is made of a complex oxide containing bismuth, iron, barium and titanium and having a perovskite structure. The iron content in the piezoelectric layer is higher at the interface with the second electrode than other portions in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuya Kitada, Tsutomu Asakawa
  • Publication number: 20150085022
    Abstract: An ink jet head includes: a pressure chamber to be filled with ink formed in a pressure chamber structure, the pressure chamber in which an etching limiter made of a material different from a material of the pressure chamber structure is formed on an inner wall surface of the pressure chamber; a nozzle plate comprising a nozzle that leading to the pressure chamber and a movable range fitted to the etching limiter; and a flat driver comprising a piezoelectric body to operate the movable range and arranged on the nozzle plate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Applicants: TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Takashi KAWAKUBO, Kazuhide ABE, Yasushi TOMIZAWA, Ryuichi ARAI, Ryutaro KUSUNOKI, Osamu TAKAGI